England fell agonisingly short of victory against New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday, surrendering a lead inside the last five minutes and missing a penalty and a drop-goal attempt in the final moments to lose 24-22.
George Ford hit the post from a penalty after Antron Lienert-Brown was sent to the sin-bin for a late tackle in the 78th minute, but England won the ball back instantly to keep hope alive.
A palpable tension descended on Twickenham as Ford lined up for a drop goal with the last kick of the match but sprayed it wide as New Zealand escaped with a victory.
The expectation of a fierce Test intensified before kick-off when England walked forward to accept the challenge of New Zealand's haka, which was drowned out by the roar of "Swing low, sweet chariot" to set the stage for the match.
With a pumped up crowd behind them, England looked to be setting the early pace with plenty of energy, but it was New Zealand who scored first. Wallace Sititi provided a flick pass for Mark Tele'a who skipped down the right wing untouched for the first try of the match.
England were undeterred as the boot of Marcus Smith kept them within a point, and their rush defence, which is becoming a staple of the side, caused all sorts of headaches for New Zealand.
The All Blacks had most of the ball and England's hard work was undone by a slick play from Beauden Barrett which released Will Jordan, who easily found a gap in the defensive line and burst through for his side's second try just before the 30th minute.
A host of handling errors and penalties hindered New Zealand, however, as Smith added another six points with the boot to bring England within two points at the break.
Smith lit the fuse to start the second-half, intercepting a poor pass from New Zealand scrum-half Cortez Ratima to break free. Realising he would be mowed down by Jordan, Smith found the supporting George Furbank, who tipped it on to Immanuel Feyi-Waboso who in turn dashed towards as England went from their own 22 to score their first try of the match in the blink of an eye.
The All Blacks thought they had another try a few moments later only for it to be ruled out after a deliberate knock on from Caleb Clarke earlier in the play, with the winger lucky not to be shown a yellow card for the offence.
Smith kicked the resulting penalty, and England suddenly had a healthy lead -- though they soon gave away just their fourth penalty of the match in the 65th minute, which Damian McKenzie slotted to set the match up for a tense closing chapter.
The All Blacks started to build pressure with five minutes remaining, and as the ball was spun right, Twickenham held its breath. McKenzie fed Jordan, who released Tele'a, who held off four England defenders to score in the corner. McKenzie showed tremendous nerve to convert from the sideline and give New Zealand a 24-22 lead.
In a remarkable final passage of play, Lienert-Brown was sent to the sin bin and England fans started to dream of a famous win. Ford, who replaced Smith, hit the post from the penalty kick, before England were awarded a scrum in front of the posts.
It fell to Ford to place the drop goal, but the veteran fly-half missed to the right as Twickenham fell into a stunned silence.
England will be left deflated after another nearly match, while New Zealand will know they must improve also with Ireland and France to come this month.